The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
by: M.T. Anderson
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Product Description:
A gothic tale becomes all too shockingly real in this mesmerizing magnum opus by the acclaimed author of FEED.
It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.
A gothic tale becomes all too shockingly real in this mesmerizing magnum opus by the acclaimed author of FEED.
It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Very Good!
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very thought-provoking and gave an interesting perspective to the Revolutionary times in our country's history. I'd recommend it.
Rating: - Accolade for Good Omens
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is a fictional story about the end of the world which, according to one Agnes Nutter, Witch, is next Saturday, but the Antichrist has been misplaced.In order to stop the end of the world from happening, an unlikely team comprised of an angel, a demon, a witch, a witch finder, and four kids must try to find the misplaced Antichrist and put a stop to the Apocalypse.What might otherwise be a pretty dark story is made light by the humor that can be found ... Read More
Rating: 
- Shine a light on the darkness
I read Octavian Nothing this weekend. In a night, actually, in one enormous fascinated appalled gulp. Now I understand why everyone was talking about it. Slave narratives have alway been political, so using a fictional one (be it never so fantastical and gothick) to illumine the history we don't see as much is lovely. This is not a book for hagiography, not of people or nations. It is about Jefferson, although it never says so. It is like a darker, older version of Johnny Tremaine. People die, and are ... Read More
Rating: 
- Tedious and pretentious
The premise of this book (a child raised by 19th century natural scientists as an "experiment") is so provocative that I grabbed it off the bookstore shelf and couldn't wait to read it.The description of Octavian's early life, and the unraveling of who the people are and why they are doing it, is fascinating.After the initial shock and curiosity, however, the plot plods along tediously.The writing is meant to evoke 19th century prose style, but it comes off as pretentious and I found it difficult ... Read More
Rating: - "F" ed up.
I knew some of the historical references when I read this but not all.This book goes to a dark dark place.I love the argument at the end. This book is a powerhouse.
- Very Good!I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very thought-provoking and gave an interesting perspective to the Revolutionary times in our country's history. I'd recommend it.
- Accolade for Good OmensGood Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is a fictional story about the end of the world which, according to one Agnes Nutter, Witch, is next Saturday, but the Antichrist has been misplaced.In order to stop the end of the world from happening, an unlikely team comprised of an angel, a demon, a witch, a witch finder, and four kids must try to find the misplaced Antichrist and put a stop to the Apocalypse.What might otherwise be a pretty dark story is made light by the humor that can be found ... Read More
- Shine a light on the darknessI read Octavian Nothing this weekend. In a night, actually, in one enormous fascinated appalled gulp. Now I understand why everyone was talking about it. Slave narratives have alway been political, so using a fictional one (be it never so fantastical and gothick) to illumine the history we don't see as much is lovely. This is not a book for hagiography, not of people or nations. It is about Jefferson, although it never says so. It is like a darker, older version of Johnny Tremaine. People die, and are ... Read More
- Tedious and pretentiousThe premise of this book (a child raised by 19th century natural scientists as an "experiment") is so provocative that I grabbed it off the bookstore shelf and couldn't wait to read it.The description of Octavian's early life, and the unraveling of who the people are and why they are doing it, is fascinating.After the initial shock and curiosity, however, the plot plods along tediously.The writing is meant to evoke 19th century prose style, but it comes off as pretentious and I found it difficult ... Read More
- "F" ed up.I knew some of the historical references when I read this but not all.This book goes to a dark dark place.I love the argument at the end. This book is a powerhouse.
